Sutures are used within the human body during surgical operations. Sometimes flat braided sutures are used and sometimes they may cause post-operative irritation when the suture is implanted in a place or manner where repetitive sliding occurs. Sutures having higher coefficients of friction may sometimes lead to higher loads on the anchor sites as well as irritation where the suture is sliding, particularly if the suture is sliding on bone or cartilage.
Lower friction surfaces may be sought after in sutures in order to reduce irritation. One approach is to find more lubricious materials to use in the suture. Sutures that slide on hard surfaces are subject to wear and the resulting wear debris causes plowing and causes an increased frictional force. This can sometimes cause an undesirable amount of irritation for the patient and higher loads on anchor sites of the suture.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus that provides a suture having a relatively low amount of sliding friction and therefore be less irritable to patients and reduced anchor sites of the suture.